>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Mayor Johnson is warning the city is headed for a shutdown.

If there's no budget deal.

Tens of thousands of Illinois residents could lose health coverage as Affordable Care Act.

Subsidies are set to expire at end of the month.

>> Regulations not this.

>> Chicago small business owners are sounding the alarm on a potential hemp ban ordinance.

All of us have a signature of some time that we apply and can't escape myself.

Really.

>> And remembering an acclaimed architect who left his mark on Millennium Park.

>> First off tonight, even after a weekend of budget negotiations.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is warning the city could see its first ever government shutdown.

If there's no deal in just 22 days.

>> The last time Chicago came close to a government shutdown was in 1984, win.

Alders Birkin for Joliet try to override mayor here.

Washington's V-toll Washington's V-toll before striking a deal hours before the deadline.

We don't want history to repeat itself.

>> Johnson has sent a letter to the 26 members of City Council who signed onto a budget plan that does not include his proposed so-called head tax on corporations in it.

He tells older people their proposal would raise monthly costs for every Chicago and 39 Port Alderwoman Samantha Nugent told colleagues in a separate letter that she thinks the mayor's proposal is irresponsible because it, quote, borrows to pay for operations, shorts or pensions is absent critical efficiencies and pushes a tax on jobs that would kill economic growth to read the mayor's complete letter.

Please visit our website.

Dozens of tenants in South Shore building that one that was once rated by federal immigration agents are being told to move out by Friday.

Judge Denver and Seton Today declined a motion filed by the tenants union asking for an extension on the eviction order as well as $7500 in relocation fees.

The judge cited the building safety issues and said residents have already been offered moving assistance.

But residents say they haven't had enough time to find new housing, never resources being provided aren't enough.

People have been trying to get out of building, right is not that people don't want to leave.

>> It's not that people are dragging their feet.

Is that it's hard to get.

It's hard.

People found out about this fake a date November.

26.

>> We want to make sure that everyone in this building will be out by Well, but not out in the home.

>> Tens of thousands of people are preparing for the annual pilgrimage to the northwest suburbs for our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations.

Organizers say this year's events in Des Plaines will go on as scheduled despite concerns around federal immigration enforcement.

Church leaders say those who don't feel comfortable making the journey for whatever reason can live stream the events from home.

>> If you are coming to visit.

And you know, people who for whatever reason traditionally it would come and this year they can't.

We invite you to knock on the door.

We invite you to go to them, find them and asked them.

Do you have anything for me to pray for?

Ask them, I'll take your flowers.

What you can Carry you with me and my thoughts and in my prayers, I will carry you.

We won't forget you.

>> The feast day recognizes the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego.

Nearly 500 years ago.

The celebrations take place this Thursday and Friday.

Almost 5 more inches of snow over the weekend.

The city has had to be with his start to the snowfall season since 1978 so far, the city's total snowfall for the 2025.

26 season is already at 17.1 inches.

That's almost as much as the city notched in all of 2024.

25 season and the traditionally snow snow.

months.

>> Still in front of us to keep those shovels and snowblowers primed because a potential clipper system in Canada could make a swing north of the region through this week.

Up next with the demise of the Obamacare subsidies could mean for you or someone, you know, right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexandra and John Nichols family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> Residents who depend on the Affordable Care Act for health care coverage could see their premiums spike, depending on which way Congress votes this week.

vote is set for Thursday on whether to extend federal health care subsidies that have helped make ACA premiums more affordable for some.

But those subsidies set to expire at the end of this month.

As many as 100,000 Illinois could lose coverage.

Joining us to dive deeper is Anthony also a health care economist and professor who chairs the Department of Economics at the Treehouse College of Business at DePaul University.

Welcome.

Thanks for joining Thanks.

as we mentioned, Congress votes this Thursday on a plan that Democrats have united around it seeks to extend these existing tax credits for another 3 years.

What changes could happen if Congress does not extend the subsidies?

>> Well, what's going to happen is that temporary subsidies were enacted during the pandemic, it was an emergency situation with the pandemic.

That's what we're talking about.

They are temporary.

They are by act of Congress scheduled to end at the end of the year.

So what they are, they're enhanced premium tax credit.

These are these are for generally middle income people.

They will not.

The change will not affect lower-income residents.

They there are middle income people who will experience greater exposure to the true cost of the health plans that be considering purchasing within exchanges than what would the options be for some of those higher middle income folks.

>> Who will be impacted?

Well, I think what we're seeing and you mentioned, you know, the expected number recent estimate ID number of people who might choose not to take up coverage given that they're going to be paying more out of pocket for the premiums for these plans.

They'll primarily be healthier people who prop coverage and those people who are going to be value in coverage more will tend to be less healthy and so that's why that's one of the reasons why we're seeing premiums spiking in for 2026.

So that's really the nature, the change that we're talking about here because it has an impact everybody's premium.

Of course, when the bulk of people who are needing this particular coverage >> are less healthy.

It costs more to care for them.

That's that's correct.

Premiums are going to go up for everybody.

Although again, I will say what the sum total of the changes is that the average premium that is paid for by the government will go from about 88% to around 83%.

So meaning that on average people will be going from paying about 12% premium to around 70 If you're low income going to be no change at all.

If your higher income middle income, you will feel some of take on more fat premium cost to.

There's also Republican pant plan not up for a vote yet.

It is called the health care freedom for Patients Act.

>> Make health care affordable again.

It proposes ACA enrollees between the ages of 18 to 49 years old who earn less than 700% of the federal poverty level that they receive $1000 in an HSA a health savings account.

$1500 for people who are 50 to 60 years old.

Expanding plan options available to consumers by extending eligibility for catastrophic coverage plans to all individuals starting January first, 27 cutting Medicaid funding to states that provide coverage to undocumented immigrants and prohibiting the use of Medicaid funding for gender affirming care.

Does this help in your opinion, does this help market incentives are just shift the costs?

there are a lot of competing proposals right now flying around Washington.

You know, I I personally don't think that they necessarily get at some of the major drivers that we're seeing again, it was called the Affordable Care Act.

I'm not entirely convinced that it has made.

And I think that's a good evidence to suggest that it has not made health care more affordable.

I would like to push towards thinking more about reforms that.

Beating a temporary extension of the enhanced subsidies for more fundamental kind of structural reform of the subsidies themselves.

I think those are the ones that are sort of miss targeted this type of reform.

I think it's partly gets there because I I do think you want to get patients 2 enrollees to have patience to have money of their own to control with regard to their healthcare purchases.

I'd like to see them get the subsidy in a health account of some sort so that they can use it to buy whatever plan they would like available on the exchanges if they choose a more formal plan, they get keep the difference in their account, use it for their cause sharing, use it for deductible payments.

Use it for Co pays I think that would be a smarter way to make some meaningful reforms and to stop the system that we currently have, which really is one where money gets sent directly to the insurance companies and enroll.

These don't really see it along the way.

And so I personally would like to see the patients and the enrollees have more skin in the game.

I'd like to see insurers be forced to compete more in the marketplace.

They're called marketplaces, but as the currently structured.

Insurers don't have a lot of incentive to compete with one another.

And so reforms that are more structural in nature to try to move the needle on healthcare costs.

I think by and sent in competition with one of your peers, economist Craig Garthwaite recently co-authored a paper called coverage isn't care and abundance agenda for Medicaid offering propose solutions as well.

>> Some of those recommendations include ease restrictions on doctors trained in other countries.

Allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice independently and loosen regulations to allow for AI assisted care to Medicaid patients.

Do you think those are those like some of the structural changes that you are also suggesting?

Could those make a difference?

I think these are great ideas.

Craig is a super smart guy.

He's focusing on the supply side.

I think that's really critical.

And health care.

>> Growing the supply side that reduces costs.

I'm focus a little bit more on as an economist.

I call the demand side.

So how do we structure incentives so that the prices are right for the services and that there are that there are real efforts and real means of competition in these marketplaces, of course, blow having coverage is important.

That coverage does not necessarily guarantee and appointments or affordability.

Once you get an appointment, should the policy debate shouldn't be shifting from coverage numbers to access and quality care?

>> I think those are super important issues.

They should always be front and center in any debate when it comes to health care because, yes, it doesn't mean anything.

You're the nature of your health insurance contract doesn't mean anything if you can't get in to see a doctor.

>> That's where we'll have to leave it obviously something to keep an eye on the next few weeks Congress continues to debate this and looks awesome.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Up next, the politics of banning him in Chicago.

>> move >> to ban the sale of hemp products in Chicago has several older people lit up.

13th Ward Alderman Marty Quinn has criticized the recent rise of smoke shops, calling them, quote, shady storefronts that, quote, prey on kids with products that look like Candy.

He's proposed ordinance banning the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products in the city passed out of committee last week but is drawing sharp criticism from the folks who make and sell him.

Joining us for more are James Swartz, a professor in the college of Social Work at University of Illinois, Chicago.

Josh owner of Revolution Brewing a Chicago based craft brewery and Knicks alderman for the 38th Ward.

We also reached out to a number of the proposed ordinances supporters and city council.

But they declined.

Gentlemen, we welcome the 3 of you back.

2 Chicago tonight.

I'm James words.

Let's start with you.

How did hemp-derived products become so popular and why aren't they regulated the same way as marijuana?

>> Well, it all goes back to the Agricultural Improvement act of 2018, which is now commonly referred to as the farming.

The legislators were interested in carving out a niche for hemp producers so that they wouldn't be fed they wouldn't experience the same problems that cannabis, which is illegal under DEA.

So they removed it.

They removed hemp from that definition of cannabis.

And in the DEA scheduling drugs and what they put in the farm act to try and prevent hemp producers from producing intoxicating drugs was a restriction that the THC level THC being the psychoactive ingredient in hemp products.

The get you high, they put a restriction on the percent.

0.4% by dry weight, which is very minor mountain with would not affect, wouldn't have high.

Make it make you feel high.

What happened was that so that created this hemp industry?

Right?

And what happened was they didn't anticipate that enterprising chemist would find ways around that.

And this created this was called a loophole whereby they've been able to concentrate and you can get a bit of a high.

>> Off of hemp products more than a bit that's right.

so there was no effective regulation Hemp was removed from the scheduling drugs.

There was no effective regulation as there was with cannabis.

And that's how we got here.

So some states like Illinois have legalized recreational cannabis, of course, but they did not foresee that these types of hemp products would be the products that we know how have on store shelves like products that look like candy or snack food, correct?

And colorful packaging, correct Madgen, right?

So products are subject to the same regulation that the cannabis products are.

And that's that's true.

And that's why these stores have been able to proliferate without having to licensing restrictions.

That cannabis dispensary Stu.

So you see lots so there just is no regulation of these products at all at any level at any level.

Josh, you oppose prohibition, but you support the regulation of hemp products.

What kind of hemp products does revolution brewing produce and distribute so grand as we started making a beverage line called reverb about 6 months ago.

>> After a kind of studying doing our research for over a year and we saw a low dosage beverages with both CBD and THC in them.

>> Both those can happen a degree come from the hemp plant and they're very low potency, but they've become pretty mainstream in today's world and we're selling them through our her beer distributors.

We're selling them to stores with liquor licenses that are already carting for people to be.

21 and people are enjoying them.

They look at them as an alternative to alcohol at times they're on the low.

Putin sees, you know, spectrum of what we're talking about here today.

And we think there's a place for them in check out, especially as like sober curiosity, miss that word.

>> I'm sort of increases in popularity.

I imagine for a company like yours.

It is.

It is interesting and useful to sort of experiment with a different product.

that's right.

Around the corner here.

So the timing of this ban is.

>> We were looking to appeal to people looking for and alternative that time of year.

We've had a lot of people come to us and say, you know, used to drink your beer and eyes slowed by drinking or stop drinking a few years ago.

And thanks for making these hemp beverages.

We really enjoy drinking these.

>> Alderman I know you're a member of the committee on License and Consumer Protection.

You voted against the ordinance.

Describe your thought process had to write well.

My thought process I actually came into the meeting.

Very open-minded.

My mind was that made My colleague was talking to me quite often about it.

I just want to hear what the people and to say.

And once I was there and I felt pretty owners like Josh, even though Jackson get to speak.

>> Many people there had the same.

Presses business owners that built up a business legitimate business owners as an alternative for.

Xcel College.

People want to drink anymore to something.

Thank God I'm something, make them feel better.

It was a hard thing.

So I I did not support of >> Have you heard complaints or what have you heard from residents?

yet heard anything from anybody?

I mean, you know, kind of the same page about know my colleague is very concerned about stuff in the grocery stores and gas stations.

Whatever else that appeals to kids.

>> So he's working on a compromise on but in your ward, no complaints about cubes on my colleagues, I think and 7 or 8 of my colleagues, Van der Sentir Ward.

I was not one of them.

I was never an issue in my community.

So I just didn't want destroyed.

A small business that are literally trying to do the right thing.

>> James, you've said that the health risks soaps associated with hemp-derived cannabis products about the same as those associated with marijuana to write products.

What are some of those health concerns and from which products in particular?

>> The high-potency things like vapes edibles in particular for children what we but to the extent we're able to track that, what the problems these products are causing and it's difficult because essentially what you have is exactly the same drug.

You have THC in both cannabis and hemp.

And so when someone shows up in emergency departments as you poisoning a cook, took an edible.

They may not be able to discriminate that it was hemp versus cannabis.

But we are seeing is a very distinct rise in poisonings among pediatric cases.

So one to 11 year-olds primarily getting into the edibles of their parents or caretakers and showing up either at the emergency department or calling into the Illinois Poison Center.

Those those have been primarily been causing the problems that we see.

>> Just describe if you would like sort of the rise in popularity around sort innovating, you know, hemp-derived cannabinoid products and how businesses are responding.

>> Yeah, just to share the history of it since the farm bill passed was actually the state of Minnesota who acted first to legalize these have beverages and the league like as well.

But a low dosages and they did not have recreational marijuana in place at that time.

They do now.

But that really led to a lot of the local breweries seeing that as an opportunity, learn more about this, making these beverages and really finding a market up in Minnesota, you can go into a target and by having beverages.

That's how mainstream it's gotten up.

There.

And we're seeing it fall pretty quickly here in Illinois.

It's a wide variety of customers that are getting into these beverages that the reselling at 5.10 miligrams first as like my local dispensary, those lowest thing they selling a beverage format is 100 milligrams.

And that's not something that I would like to consume personally.

But maybe there's a market out there for that.

So it's a whole different market that these lower doses beverages that we make our meeting right now.

Josh, what types of regulations would you like to see?

>> Yeah, definitely here to call for So we we sell as a brewery.

We work with all levels of government.

We work with in the 3 tier system of regulation that was put in place after prohibition.

We're a manufacturer primarily as a brewery.

We somos or beer straight to a beer distributor and they warehouse said they pay the taxes to the state.

They collect the taxes from retailer on behalf of the city and the county and they deliver it to someone with a liquor license.

They verify that the place has an active liquor license.

and that's the kind of system that we need to put in place.

And I think it's exactly what we should do it, but it's a good model in the cannabis sector.

There's a similar type of regulatory framework in place to regulate everything.

And that's the kind of framework that have in place that has safeguards in there to make sure that stores are selling to anyone under 21 plus, before time, 20 seconds, Alderman, do you think your vote on the head band will be the same by the time this makes it check out following question.

Pretty level-headed guy, I'm sure will come up with something to.

>> help businesses like Jashun and resolve this and keep it to keep this stuff out of hands of kids.

So yes, I will be think there's an outright ban on working on a compromise right now.

pretty confident I'll be able to support, OK?

All right.

That's what we'll have to leave it.

Gentlemen, thanks so much for joining Josh D James Warts and all the mixed side of things, everybody.

Thank you.

Get.

Up next, remembering a pioneering architect who left his mark on Millennium Park.

>> man who made his mark on architecture around the world, including in Chicago, has died.

Frank Geary is famous for his Disney concert hall in Los Angeles and the Louisville Foundation in Paris.

Among other bold designs here in Chicago, Gehry designed the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Here he is with the late Elizabeth bracket on Chicago tonight talking about that structure.

I think many people's at the trial as the architects.

I've talked real estate, just love the trellis that was so different.

And so unique.

>> But some people said the curls, which is sort of classic Frank Gehry.

This was, you know, now we have a Frank Gehry kind of statement.

Is that what you meant to >> Well, you know, all of us have a signature of some kind that we apply mean I can't escape myself really.

>> The >> sound system.

The show itself requires a certain amount of of curvature to distribute the sound because if you if you make it comebacks, it focuses the south.

So it's gonna.

Do this to distribute the sound infinitely.

circular shapes are used in concert halls and these reflectors.

And I just took them and pull them out over the palace.

As far as we needed to get the sound distributed out as far into the audience as we could.

And then all I did is.

Flip them up.

And that's the fluff, if you will, live.

The last flip.

>> But I think it's in that blast flipped the ones that when people look at it and say that's not Chicago, it Chicago's they are strong and linear and straight and and what's going to happen when when the when things are a lot alike making lakefront over the years I see tracks, I've seen him for years.

>> I think they're shaped since Chicago.

I don't think.

The river shape a shape.

>> Frank Geary died Friday at 96.

And that's our show for this Monday night.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter.

The Daily Chicago and at W T Tw Dot Com Slash newsletter and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

Now for all of us here in Chicago tonight and bring this treatment.

>> Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford law Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death for gives